When planting for year-round colour, it’s all about planting a selection of different plants that will provide interest from texture, colour, scent and more during various months of the year. By planting with every month in mind, you will have all year interest not just for you to enjoy but also for wildlife as well. It is much easier than you might imagine with just a little planning and knowing a few basic tips to help you.
How to create year-round interest in the garden
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Shrubs and trees
Shrubs and trees are the most important part of having year-round colour. They will provide height, texture, and different shades of green and flowers throughout the year.
Choose a mix of evergreens and deciduous plants and trees; evergreens hold leaves remaining green all year, while deciduous ones lose their foliage in autumn, leafing up again when the warmer spring weather arrives.
Shrubs and trees can really prove worthwhile during spring as their fresh foliage and even some pretty and fragrant blossoms appear. Winter can be surprisingly colourful and scented with plants such as the Sarcococca (sweet box). And of course in Autumn when the leaves change colour you will enjoy a spectacular display!
- Herbaceous perennials
These will mostly be from spring through to the first frosts, with the best displays from early summer to early autumn. There are so many to choose from; we recommend checking out the months they are most likely to bloom to ensure you have some for each month. They will die back in autumn and hide underground over winter but will regrow again the following spring, usually even bigger and better than the previous year. Some will have seedheads that are not only great for wildlife but also provide interest over winter, such as Echinacea and Echinops.
- Annual bedding plants
The easiest way to add a blast of colour for the summer months is to plant annual bedding. They will mostly flower during the summer but with plenty of deadheading and care they can last into autumn as well. There's an enormous range to choose from so that your containers and hanging baskets will look pretty for months.
- Fruit and vegetables
There are many reasons to try growing your own food, and one of them is to add colour, height, texture and much more to your garden. Fruit trees will blossom, and many will have berries. Plants such as Artichoke look spectacular at the back of a border, and many winter brassicas, leeks and parsnips will last throughout winter, giving your garden plenty of interest.
- Bulbs
Nature's DIY kit, bulbs are so easy - you just plant them and forget about them until they emerge. Planning your bulbs carefully can ensure that you have about 3 months of continuous spring colour, starting with Crocus, Snowdrops and miniature Narcissi in January and February, then Hyacinths, Tulips and the larger Daffodils and Narcissi as the months progress. Don't forget summer-flowering bulbs like Allium, Iris and Gladioli or Nerines in autumn.
Make your garden a riot of year-round colour when you visit us in store for your next plant purchase.
